Chapter 6: Snow in the Late Twilight
957 Words
Chapter 6: Snow in the Late Twilight
Mia Prescott was barely dragged away by her cousin Grayson when Cecilia Ashford finally arrived.
Seeing both Vivian and Liana standing together, Cecilia let out a breath of relief—until her eyes fell on their swapped dresses.
Her expression froze.
She rushed to Vivian’s side. “What happened?”
Vivian scoffed and looked away, the disdain in her eyes flashing just briefly—just enough for Cecilia to catch it and feel a prickle of confusion.
“Vivian!” she hissed in warning.
“It’s nothing, Mom,” Vivian replied coldly. “Liana was just pulling her usual poor-me act again.”
Cecilia’s gaze shifted toward Liana.
Her hair was slightly tousled, a faint scratch marked her arm, and she was gently patting dirt off her gown. When she heard Vivian’s words, her lips trembled as if she wanted to speak—but didn’t. The look on her face screamed vulnerability.
She looked like she’d been hurt.
Cecilia frowned, then glanced at Vivian again. Vivian stood tall and poised, but… distracted.
She didn’t know what had happened, only that several debutantes had been involved in an altercation. As long as it didn’t involve Vivian directly, she didn’t care.
“The main ceremony is about to start. Don’t just stand here,” she said curtly, tugging Vivian away and signaling Liana to follow.
The party resumed as if nothing had happened. The Prescott family graciously calmed tensions and steered the event forward.
Liana smoothed her hair and straightened her posture. On stage, Mr. Prescott was giving a speech. Today wasn’t just Mia’s birthday—it was her official coming-of-age ceremony.
As the speech ended, Mrs. Prescott placed an ornate gemstone crown atop Mia’s head. Sparkling under the lights, it looked almost royal.
Liana remembered that crown well.
In her past life, after Vivian married Grayson, she had shamelessly demanded the crown from Mia—claiming it suited her better. Of course, Mia refused. The crown wasn’t just jewelry. It was a symbol of legacy.
Vivian had thrown a tantrum so dramatic that even the Ashbournes were embarrassed. From then on, both families distanced themselves from her.
Liana turned her head and caught Vivian staring at the crown again—eyes full of longing.
"Prescotts sure are showing off, all thanks to their ties with the Ashbournes," someone muttered nearby.
"True. If you can’t marry into the Ashbournes, marrying into the Prescotts wouldn’t be bad either."
The words stabbed like needles.
Liana glanced over. Two well-dressed young men noticed her looking and offered awkward smiles.
She returned a polite nod and looked away, but something about it felt… off.
Soon after, Mia cut her cake, the formalities wrapped up, and the crowd dissolved into social mingling.
Cecilia pulled Vivian toward the Ashbourne elders. Vivian looked far from thrilled. Cecilia, of course, didn’t bother inviting Liana.
Liana wisely stepped aside, waiting quietly by a pillar, trying not to draw attention. But someone had already noticed her.
"Hey!"
A hand tapped her shoulder.
She turned, surprised to see Mia beaming up at her.
"Miss Prescott," Liana greeted, bowing her head.
Mia rolled her eyes. "Ugh, don’t call me that. You’re older than me, right? Just call me your little sister."
Liana blinked. “Alright… Mia.”
The way she said it—soft, melodic—made Mia’s heart skip.
"Since you called me little sister, I guess I should call you big sister, huh? What's your name?"
“Liana,” she answered.
“Which Liana?”
“The one from the poem… ‘Snow in the late twilight.’”
Mia blinked, then grinned. “Pretty poetic. I like that.”
Before Liana could respond, two men approached.
“Miss Prescott,” one of them said. “May I have a word?”
Mia frowned, clearly annoyed. “Who are you?”
“I’m Harvey He, heir of the He family,” he replied quickly.
Never heard of him.
“Well? Say what you need to say.”
Harvey leaned closer, lowering his voice. “It concerns the Prescott and Ashbourne families. May I speak with you in private?”
Mia rolled her eyes but walked aside with him, still glancing back at Liana. “We’ll chat later, big sis!”
Liana nodded with a faint smile.
She remembered Harvey He from her past life. He eventually became Mia’s fiancé. The He family had made its fortune off a lucky lottery win and shady business practices. Despite the money, their reputation was… questionable.
Why would the Prescotts tie themselves to people like that?
Unless…
Her eyes widened.
“If you can’t marry into the Ashbournes, marrying into the Prescotts is the next best thing.”
That man had said it not long ago.
A sharp chill ran down her spine.
Liana didn’t hesitate. She gathered her skirts and darted in the direction Mia had gone.
Please let me be wrong, she thought.
—
From across the room, Grayson watched her sudden movement, eyebrows knitting.
Just as his mother was introducing him to the Ashfords.
“My son’s a bit of a handful,” Eleanor Ashbourne laughed. “I hope your family won’t mind if he’s a little rough around the edges.”
Before she could say more, Grayson abruptly turned away.
“Where are you going?” Eleanor asked.
“Something came up,” he muttered, already striding off.
Eleanor blinked after him, then gave Cecilia a sheepish smile. “He’s still growing.”
Cecilia smiled back, tugging Vivian forward. “Boys will be boys, right?”
She elbowed her daughter.
“Right, Vivian?”
Vivian looked the other way.
She couldn’t care less.
Grayson Ashbourne? Let him go.
He was nothing special anyway.
- Writer
